1,4-Ipomeadiol (I), a furanoterpenoid derived from a mold-damaged sweet potatoes is a dose-dependent selective nephrotoxin in mice. Approxomately 30 grams of (I) have been obtained along with precursor following multi-batch synthesis beginning with 3-ethyl furoate. Preliminary studies suggest that the metabolite of (I) is covalently bound to liver, lung and kidney macromolecules, with the highest binding levels occurring in the kidney. The relatively high specificity for renal tissue in the mouse suggests that 1,4-Ipomeadiol may be a valuable probe in the elucidation of drug-induced nephrotoxicity and studies are in progress to further define the metabolic basis for this organ-selective histologic damage and metabolite-binding. The relevance of these findings to the possible hazard in man resulting from the ingestion of small amounts of this compound is unknown at this time.